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Literacy and Reading Comprehension in an Online World

Reading is reading, right? Online, traditional print, and digital eReaders
are all options for reading these days. Is one really superior to another
in terms of comprehension?

A meta-analysis conducted by Kenton O'Hara and Abigail Sellen in 1997 found that comprehension
was easier for those subjects using print resources as they were able to
easily highlight and annotate while reading. Note-taking was more effective
when using paper as well. Navigation of the documents was also more intuitive
and less distracting on paper. The ability to spread out documents for quick
reference was found to be easier than navigating multiple open documents
on a computer screen. Many advances in technology have been made since that
study was released, but do those changes make online reading any better?

In 2008, the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University examined
the issue as well. Again, it seems that print promotes increased comprehension.
When students take notes on a computer, they generally cut and paste content.
By physically writing or typing notes, comprehension and fact retention
are enhanced.

Those studies are based on observing subjects reading informative text.
Obviously, some online content is of questionable quality. Fanfiction and
other websites that include user-generated content often have poor spelling,
grammar, or use abbreviations such as "R" for the word are or "U" for you.
If reading is supposed to improve comprehension and make people better readers,
will reading this kind of content actually be helpful?

The New York Times reports that literacy specialists are finding that the
only type of reading that equals improved academic performance is frequent
print novel reading. Online reading is more fragmented and doesn't allow
for making inferences. It is less intellectually engaging.

A recent study at Arizona State University provided students with either
scrolling electronic text or print text. The students were asked to write
essays after reading the material. Those students who read print versions
had a better comprehension of the material than those with the electronic
versions.

But why is online reading less likely to be understood and retained than
its print counterpart? When we read online, we must scroll, enlarge, click
links, and otherwise manipulate the computer while reading. Graphics, videos,
animations, and audio all distract us as well as limiting our need to form
mental images - something we naturally do when reading print. The medium
as a whole is more distracting than sitting down with a book.

But don't discount online reading completely. There can be advantages to
reading online. As technology advances, annotating content is easier than
it was in the initial study cited from 1997. Online content may be customized
for easier reading. Copying content, quotations, or graphics is simple.
Content is flexible - it may be printed out if necessary. Frequently, online
text will contain links that offer more information and further insight.
If a term is unknown, it is easy to look up a definition online. Online
text may be searched for terms or phrases quicker than in a book or print
document.

Overall, with the current technology, print materials lend themselves better
to comprehension. Online reading has some advantages, but in general, when
reading for understanding, choose the book over the computer screen.